Director Steve McQueen conjures the sensual atmosphere and freedom of a 1980 house party in this feature 'Lovers Rock' from his 'Small Axe' anthology for Amazon about London's West Indian community. Read the review here:
Co-written by rapper, music producer and novelist Courttia Newland and McQueen from a story by the director, the film is molded around the dance-floor courtship of two magnetically drawn strangers, Martha and Franklyn . But more than a conventional romantic encounter, it's a time capsule revisiting the custom of Blues parties held in private homes.
The actors are natural and appealing, though McQueen is as interested in the environment that brings them together as he is in the characters themselves. He observes the guys who make up the DJ crew, led by Samson , clearing the front room of a two-story semi-detached house that will become a throbbing dance hall. They remove the plastic-wrapped sofa to the back garden, roll up the rugs and install the sound system, sparking up a blunt as the work proceeds.
Gifted DP Shabier Kirchner gets right in close among the dancers to feel the shifting moods of the party and the sensation of body against body. The tactile intimacy and gorgeous fluidity of the visuals is enhanced by the loose rhythms of the editing by Chris Dickens and McQueen. Women dominate the dance floor early on as the guys loiter around the edges of the room, eyeing up prospective partners. The collective physicality of the ensemble shifts from song to song, among them Sister Sledge's"He's the Greatest Dancer," Barry Biggs' reggae spin on"Hey There Lonely Girl," and Carl Douglas'"Kung Fu Fighting," which sparks some amusingly goofy martial arts moves.
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